Consider for a moment two people from Jewish history who made a huge impact on the people of Israel during one of the darkest times in the history of the Jews. First, we have Daniel:
3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— 4 young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. 5 The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.
11 Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” 14 So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.
15 At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. 16 So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.
17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.
Daniel 1:3-5 & 11-17
Daniel was taken from his home as a young man and forced into the service of the king of Babylon.
A little more than a century later, a young Jewish girl shared a similar story:
8 When the king’s order and edict had been proclaimed, many young women were brought to the citadel of Susa and put under the care of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the king’s palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the harem.
12 Before a young woman’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics. 13 And this is how she would go to the king: Anything she wanted was given her to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. 14 In the evening she would go there and in the morning return to another part of the harem to the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not return to the king unless he was pleased with her and summoned her by name.
15 When the turn came for Esther (the young woman Mordecai had adopted, the daughter of his uncle Abihail) to go to the king, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested. And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her. 16 She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal residence in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
17 Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen
Esther 2:8 & 12-17
Hadassah, better known as Esther, also found herself taken from her family to become a wife to a king after a one-night interview. As young people forced to face uncomfortable circumstances, separated from their families, serving kings, and standing up for God, Daniel and Hadassah demonstrate bravery and faith.
But today I want to focus on another aspect of their story–their discipline and the way they prepared for the next great thing God had for them.
Creating a Life of Discipline
Both Esther and Daniel enjoyed success in their lives. Both impressed their respective king, and each one played a role in helping the people of God while they were foreigners and captives. Their stories make me wonder what I can imitate in their lives to achieve like they did. And one thing I noticed was the way they prepared.
Daniel spent three years preparing for his role as a leader in Babylon. He quickly moved from servant of the king to administrator to third in command of the kingdom.
Esther had a full year of preparation. She had only one night to impress the king of Persia. If she failed, she would never marry, relegated forever to the role of member of the harem. Worse still, though she didn’t know it at the time, she would not have been in a position to save the Jewish people living in Persia. I’m glad I don’t have that kind of pressure.
Daniel and Esther both lived a life of strict discipline–one for a year, the other for three years. But at the end of their training and rituals, they were ready to take on the task God called them to.
But what about you and me?
Have we taken time to prepare for God’s next big move in our lives?
I’m getting ready to take on ninety days of discipline. The experts say it takes twenty-one days to create a new habit. How much more will it stick if I make it ninety days? I still haven’t narrowed down my objectives, but I have a few days before I begin. I know I want to become more disciplined in three areas: Faith, Fitness, and Fellowship.
Fitness will be the toughest for me. When I get tired, I get lazy. When I get busy, it’s easy to put it off. I’m still not sure what small thing I’m going to change for the ninety days, but I know every time I add a fitness discipline to my life–whether it’s in what I eat or how I move–it makes me better.
Faith and Fellowship will prove easier, but I want to push myself. I want to be stretched. I want to be ready to serve my King in ways bigger than I can even imagine right now.
Do you think Daniel knew he would someday be the third-highest-ranked official in Babylon? How could he have known he would have the power to give his friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego powerful positions in the kingdom?
What about Esther? When her uncle challenged her to audition for the position of queen, how could she have foreseen a day set aside to annihilate the people of Israel? And even if she’d seen it coming, what could a young Jewish girl possibly do to influence a king to change his mind?
I don’t know what God has in store for me, but I do believe He has more. Jesus Christ has abundance I can’t fathom. He possesses knowledge, goodness, and beauty my mind can’t comprehend. And I believe the closer I get to Him, the better I know my Savior, the more I can experience His bounties. And let me be perfectly honest. I don’t want to miss out. He’s already blessed me bigger than I can imagine. Why would I pass on anything extra He has to offer?
I’ll try to remember to come back and give you an update in three months, but in the meantime, I hope you’ll be a little like Daniel and Esther and start to prepare for the great things God wants to do in your life.
